Bangladesh seeks death penalty for enforced disappearances

Bangladesh's government has proposed allowing the death penalty when an enforced disappearance results in death, after an official inquiry recorded more than 1,500 cases during former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's 17-year rule.

The draft Prevention and Remedies for Enforced Disappearance Act was agreed late Monday and must be passed by parliament.

A cabinet statement said punishment may be extended to the death penalty if an enforced disappearance results in death. The proposal also says victims' families should be compensated from the property of convicted offenders.

A commission set up after Hasina was toppled in a 2024 uprising recorded at least 1,569 cases of enforced disappearances during her tenure. It said 251 victims were still missing and presumed dead.

Hasina was accused of using security forces to crush dissent, including against political rivals in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who leads the BNP, pledged during the February 2026 elections to end state-backed violence linked to Hasina's rule.

Hasina, 78, remains in hiding in India. She was convicted in absentia by a Dhaka court of crimes against humanity in 2025 and sentenced to be hanged. She told AFP last week that she was determined to return home this year.

Rights groups say political rivalries, weak law enforcement and a culture of impunity are driving continued violence in Bangladesh.